Thoughts on the trail during my artist residency …

I just crested staying over two months in Taos, New Mexico as an Artist in Residence at the Wurlitzer Foundation. A few days after I arrived here I sought out the Devisadero Loop Trail, a section / foothill of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. It begins around 7,000 feet above sea level and makes its way to 8,300 feet. Needless to say, my Minnesota lungs were winded. I was such a PILE on the first hike. Took me 2.5-3 hours and I was exhausted on those early days of being here. Now I’m run/hiking it, and just had my best time at 1:10.

“Devisadero” has a few searchable meanings – could be from the Spanish word for ‘division.’ The forest service says it means “lookout place” and that “the peak had once been used by the Taos Pueblo Indians to stand guard against the Apaches who would come down Taos Canyon to raid the Pueblo.” Or it might be from the word divisar, meaning similarly ‘to gaze at something from a distance.’

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In my other life, I am a yoga instructor. It balances out the late nights, the wild times, the unpredictability of the music business. Plus, it helps to keep me sane.

In my class on Tuesday night (I teach a handful of community therapists at their workplace), a dear student asked if I would be interested in incorporating chakra teachings into my classes. I jumped at it and wove it into my class design for the night. I love requests and I love challenges – and this one seemed very pertinent. In the next series of blog posts, I’m gonna delve into some simple things you can do at home with your breath, body and music and how they relate to our chakra system.

Health and wellness are something I’m super passionate about, although I have my contradictions. Some nights reach well into the early morning hours, beyond 4 am, even looking at the dawn. Sleep deprivation clutches on in a life where I try to pack SO much into each day, always wishing there were more hours. But on the road, it’s a different story – sometimes with TOO much downtime, or packed so full you can’t see in front of your face. I have a few quick tips to staying healthy on the road that I’ve picked up along the way – I hope they are helpful to you, even if you aren’t a touring musician! I love this topic so will keep returning to it!

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This past weekend marked the start of the recording process for my 5th album. I’ve returned to Sacred Heart Studio for the 4th time for its gorgeous acoustics, sacred setting and the chance to work with the revered sound engineer Eric Swanson. Sacred Heart’s website says: “A number of local, regional, and nationally acclaimed performers such as Low, Charlie Parr, Trampled By Turtles, Retribution Gospel Choir, Dark Dark Dark, Mary Bue, Sara Thomsen, Coyote, Cars and Trucks and the Crash Test Dummies have discovered the Sacred Heart Recording Studio is an ideal setting to capture their unique sound.” – I’m so happy to be on this list! I plan to have the album mastered by Tom Herbers, another “Knob God.”Read more →

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While my touring has ebbed and flowed, I CAN say that I’ve done it (!) and done solo stretches of up to 30 days. I’m in the beginning stages of planning the largest tour of my so-called life in March and April. Part of it, selfishly, will be to escape winter in Duluth, Minnesota. But truly, I will be touring behind a new record and returning to some well-loved cities and venues.

The Duluth Homegrown Music Festival is upon us like a beacon, like an anvil, like an empty bottle. The description from the website duluthhomegrown.org says it’s “Duluth’s annual showcase of rawk and/or roll devil music.” 180 venues, 150 bands, 8 days.